Typical web servers serve static files that may include dynamic content generated by the server via modules such as Perl, PHP Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP), Python, Active Server Pages (ASP) or others. Such implementations require processing by the server for each update to the delivered web page, which may adversely impact performance. Furthermore, such implementations do not scale well as the number of pages, users, and requests increase.
Other web servers may use client-side plug-ins, such as Java, provided by Oracle Corporation of Redwood City, Calif.; Flash, provided by Adobe Systems, Inc. of San Jose, Calif.; SilverLight, provided by Microsoft, Inc. of Redmond, Wash.; or other web browser-based plug-ins. While these may be used to provide a rich user environment, the plug-in needs to be installed on the client machine, and may not be supported by all potential computing devices. Furthermore, the application files used by such plug-ins may be very large, requiring a sizeable download before execution, impacting first-time user experience. Additionally, plug-ins may have security holes, and the end user must manage updates and security.